


miserable

by xx_anklebiters_xx



Series: miserable [1]
Category: Bandom, Paramore
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:42:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xx_anklebiters_xx/pseuds/xx_anklebiters_xx
Summary: this just in:overrun by alcoholism,  country singer Hayley Williams has postponed her tour and checked into rehab.
Relationships: Hayley Williams/Taylor York
Series: miserable [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826542
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

"Shit," Hayley muttered as she tripped down the steps out of the back of the Nashville venue toward her tour bus.

She groaned as her feet failed her, her back hitting the iced concrete with a crack. Though it was initially painful, the crack seemed to leave her feeling quite agile. Her hand slapped the concrete as her phone began to ring.

"What?" She answered, sitting up with a heavy sigh.

"Somehow, the tour bus is about to pull off and you're not on it. Get your ass on this bus _now_. And by the way, I don't need attitude from a child."

"I'm _not_ a child!" She argued.

"Then stop acting like one." The woman's manager spat.

"Fuck you, Zac." The line went dead.

The tour bus door flung open as Zac's head poked out.

"Come on, Hayley, haul ass!" He yelled. She groaned once more and made her way to her feet. She stumbled a couple times more, not quickening her pace a single bit. "You better be glad we didn't leave you," he gripped Hayley's upper arm. "Don't think no one noticed that you're drunk. You sounded like shit tonight."

"Let go of me!" She yelped, yanking away from Zac's harmful hand. She made her way to her bunk, not bothering to take off her boots or jacket.

She remembered a time when Zac wasn't so hard on her, before she started drinking. She didn't blame him for his harshness, anyway. It was her fault. She was really just lucky that any of the people that she worked with put up with her anymore.

"How did I get so fucked up?" She asked herself aloud.

"For you, it was easy." Zac said, passing the bunk.

"Oh, shut up!"

Their banter turned sour for the night, neither of them very pleased with each other. They still had good moments together, but with Hayley's continuous drinking, moments like those were few and far between.

Once at the hotel, Hayley spent her night cleaning out her room's mini bar. Not too long after, it seemed to be morning and she had to prep for her next concert.

It was getting harder and harder to be sober at any of her concerts, they were almost the worst part of her day, so that night and the one after that, she allowed herself to drink her way through them.

"The _third_ night in a row that you've completely screwed up, Hayley. You're kidding, right?" Zac scolded after a show one night. She shrugged and shortly after, a burp escaped her lips, causing her to giggle. "Seriously? That's it, first thing tomorrow, I'm calling the label."

Zac was shocked to see Hayley actually express emotion at his declaration. Completely baffled by his statement, Hayley immediately began to cry.

"Zac," She whined, "I'm sorry, please don't."

"Hayley, the whole team is tired of babysitting you. You need help. He's gonna figure it out."

Hayley absolutely detested the head of the record label. The two of them hadn't had the best experiences with each other in the past.

"W-will I have to meet with him?" She questioned.

"I don't know," he sighed, "probably."

The woman shifted her weight a couple times before stepping towards Zac. She opened her arms slightly, allowing him to pull her close.

"Hey, don't worry about _that_ , I'm not gonna leave you, I just think at this point your problem is bigger than us." Zac explained.

Hayley pushed herself away from him gently, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "I don't have a problem,"

Zac nodded and left her with that. Absolutely dejected, she curled up into her hotel bed, a sob escaping her lips. She had feelings, not that she ever really showed them to anyone anyway, that amounted to her feeling completely hollow at all times. Once again, she longed for the comfort given to her by alcohol.

The following week, Hayley and Zac met up with her team.

"It's gonna make her look bad, it's bad publicity," her tour manager pointed out.

"No publicity is bad publicity," her publicist argued.

"That's not true."

Zac heaved a sigh and tapped his fingers on the table. Hayley sat quietly, exhausted from being a week shy of a pick me up. Finally, Zac interrupted.

"Regardless of the publicity, she needs help-"

"No, _nothing_ is regardless of the publicity anymore, she's famous!" The publicist slammed her hand on the table.

"That doesn't matter right now! She's 22 fucking years old and an alcoholic! The industry destroyed her! She needs help, not fame." Zac truly cared about Hayley, and he partially blamed himself for her problems.

"You're the one who discovered her, Farro. _You_ destroyed her."

"You think I don't know that?" He asked, "I told them that she was too young to be brought into this business and what was I told? That 17 wasn't too young and that they needed the sales. I tried to slow it down."

Hayley grew aggravated with the arguing of the people around her. They only seemed to get louder and she only seemed to want a drink even more.

"Okay, that's enough!" She yelled, "For fuck's sake, just figure it out!" The woman shoved her chair back and stormed out of the room, making her way to the bathroom.

She took her time, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked tired and her anger was written all over her face. She couldn't help but be irritable, her team was full of complete idiots.

While she was gone, her team decided to come to a consensus about what they should do to help the young woman they were hired to promote. They decided, though, not to tell her what their choice was until it was time to enact the plan.

A few nights later, while flipping through channels on the television, a news story on TMZ caught Hayley's eye.

"This just in! Overrun by alcoholism, country singer Hayley Williams has postponed her tour and checked into rehab."


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning, Hayley. How was your first night here?"

Hayley shrugged, not exactly keen on the idea of group therapy or a 12-step program.

"Would you like to share what you're in for?"

She sighed. "Not really."

"Well that's fine. How was breakfast?"

"Uh, fine, I guess. I had some grapefruit and some yogurt." It didn't really matter though, because Hayley was certain that no one in the room around her actually cared. So, for the rest of group therapy, she didn't speak much.

At lunch, she sat alone, pushing her food around her plate. She didn't mind that the food was healthy, just the fact that eating made her nauseous. For this reason, she rested her head on the table until she was told that she could go back to her room for individual therapy.

"Good afternoon, I'm Dr. York. How are you today, Hayley?" He asked. He was handsome, distractingly so.

"What's your first name?"

"Taylor."

Hayley groaned, "That's too normal, middle?"

"Benjamin," He told her. She laughed.

"I'm gonna call you Benji." Dr. York shook his head.

"You will call me Dr. York, can we get started?" Hayley rolled her eyes. "You do realize that this is _behavioral_ therapy, right?"

"Is that supposed to mean something?" This conversation was pointless.

"It means that you don't know how to behave. Now, I don't know if that's because you're experiencing withdrawals, or the fact that you're just a spoiled brat." He meant to get under her skin, and it seemed to work for a second.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, do you prefer the word tyrant?" She sat up taller.

"Get out." She demanded. He laughed at her.

"That isn't how this works. We've been here for ten minutes, you still have 80 more. I haven't even asked you the questions I'm supposed to because you're so far up your own ass." He wasn't usually so unprofessional, but the woman already seemed like she was going to be impossible to work with.

"Well then ask your stupid questions so you can go."

"When did you start drinking?" Readying his pen on his notebook, he looked directly into her eyes.

"I don't know," she said, "18? 19?"

"So quite some time ago?" He asked, she nodded. "When did it become excessive?"

"It's never been excessive!" She threw her head back and groaned, "Jesus Christ."

Taylor took note of this outburst. "Were you drinking to match the behavior of your social group?"

"To what?"

"Was it because someone pressured you to? Did you just go to too many parties? Come on, Hayley, you can't just tell me that you tried it once and decided, 'hey, I wanna do this all the time!'" He was getting agitated, he'd never met someone so defensive.

"Honestly?" She started, he leaned forward slightly, "I tried it once and decided, 'hey, I wanna do this all the time!'" Taylor threw himself back into his seat.

"Fine, how about other stuff? Where are you from? Surely this country twang can't be real." He was, without a doubt, intrigued by her dialect.

"Meridian." She said, looking down at the floor. "You?"

"Here, actually." He smiled.

"Here, in upstate New York. There's nothing here." He chuckled at her. "Is there anything that isn't boring about you, Benji?"

"Well, I get to examine your psyche. That's pretty interesting." It was the truth, it's not every day that someone gets to talk to an incredibly famous person about their problems.

"My psyche? Why?" She questioned, unsure of whether she should be offended or not.

"Because you're well known, but no one really _knows_ you. It's interesting to see." He explained.

"Yeah, there's a reason for that. People like you sell out celebrities all the time. And for the record, Zac knows me." She was feeling irritable, again.

"I wouldn't do that. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Zac is my manager," she explained, "I think he knows me better than anyone."

"Well it's good to have someone that knows you very well. Did he encourage you to check in here?" He wrote himself a note to call Zac.

"He made the decision entirely. They didn't give me a choice. Head of the label woulda dropped me if I didn't." She explained, "But I don't have a problem, so I don't think I need to be here."

So Taylor said, "well then I guess we don't need to finish this session, do we?" Hayley shook her head, so he stood up and made his way to the door.

"Hey Benji?" Her voice was sweet, in an almost concerning way.

"Yeah?"

"You stink like cigarettes, buddy. I'm not the one with the problem." Taylor shook his head and exited the room.

"What a piece of work," he muttered to himself.

Not too long later, a worker popped his head in, "Hayley, it's time for music therapy."

She sighed and stood up, a little glad to have been doing something she enjoyed for once.

While there, she picked up a guitar and attempted to play a song. She couldn't, though, because it seemed that her body was beginning to shake and her heart rate increased.

"H-hey," she called out to one of the workers, "do I have to be here?"

The woman noticed Hayley's behavior and came closer. "Hayley, are you feeling alright?"

Attempting to take deep breaths failed, and all she could do was shake her head. The woman nodded and grabbed Hayley's hand.

"That's quite alright, come with me." She helped Hayley up and led her down a hallway that seemed all too long. They came to a stop at a clinic-like area and at this point, Hayley couldn't understand a single thing that was going on.

The woman who comforted her talked with a doctor, but the only words Hayley could focus on were, "liquid," and, "anxiolytic."

"Okay, Hayley," the doctor started, "I'm gonna give you a shot and you're gonna go back to your room. It's an anxiolytic, so it'll help calm you down and your probably have to take a nap." Hayley nodded and allowed the man to roll up her shirt sleeve. The shot felt like barely a pinch, so she was unfazed.

Back in her room, she began to feel sleepy. Remembering the words of the doctor, she decided it was probably best to take a nap.


	3. Chapter 3

Having discussed and been approved to use, "a different approach," on Hayley, Taylor entered Hayley's therapy appointment with a small bag.

"How are we today?" He asked.

"You still stink and I'm not here for it." Hayley rolled her eyes. "What's in the bag?"

"The bag, you see," he began, "is only for well-behaved people, so I'm afraid you won't get to see it today." He laughed for a second before coming close to her and placing the bag on her lap. "For you."

Hayley opened the bag, her eyes widening at the sight of it. "Are you allowed to bring this in here?"

"Yeah, but you can only have two. Pick your poison." Hayley squinted at him and shook her head slowly.

"I don't believe you," she told him.

"No, really," he told her, "I got permission, all is well. We're trying a new thing. Weaning."

"Weaning?"

"Weaning. Like how mothers wean babies from breastfe-"

"I know what it is! How does it help me?" She asked, not that she needed help.

_Help._ "It helps because just taking alcohol from you entirely leads to withdrawals. Like the panic attack you had yesterday, it-" His word were cut off by Hayley's voice.

"I didn't have a panic attack, so shut the fu-"

"You need to learn how to let people finish their sentences. Do not interrupt me again. It's quite equivalent to maybe.. three shots?" Hayley was alarmed by the sudden tonal changes in his voice. "So, pick two."

Quickly and quietly, she grabbed two of the small bottles of alcohol and slid the bag across the floor and back to him. She placed the two bottles on the table next to her.

"You don't have to drink them now, but feel free to do so whenever you please. Now, about your panic attack yesterday. You were having withdrawals. I want to prevent that because I don't feel that you should have to be medicated. Agree?"

Hayley nodded her head and glanced over at the alcohol next to her. She longed for the familiar warmth to spread through her body. She then cleared her throat and looked back up at him.

"Is there anything that makes you unhappy?" He asked.

Hayley shrugged, very unwilling to speak at the moment.

"Hayley, I don't understand why you can't just try. You can _try_ to be better and for some reason you just don't!" He exhaled heavily and tapped his foot on the floor. "It's like you're perfectly happy with being unhappy. Why?"

"That's not true."

"Seems to be."

"It's not!" She yelled. "I _want_ to be happy, okay?"

"Okay, fine by me. How about this, we pick up on this tomorrow. I'm told you have a visitor." He smiled and Hayley furrowed her eyebrows. A visitor? No way.

She made her way down the hall as instructed and, upon entering the visiting area, began to run.

"Zac!" She screeched. She ran so fast that she couldn't slow down by the time she reached him, resulting in a collision. Her small frame, however, didn't affect his stance.

"Hey," he said softly with his arms around her. As he kissed the top of her head, they swayed back and forth. "How ya doin'?"

"My therapist is a goon," she mumbled. Zac laughed.

"Well, I think he's a nice guy. Maybe you'll be happy to hear that you're getting almost twice as many sales now. People find you to be inspiring because of your choice to get better." He ruffled the girl's hair a little and finally let his arms fall from around her.

"You know I don't care about the sales, Zac." She sighed. "And I don't think I have anything to better."

"Hayley," he warned, "we both know you do."

"I just don't think I can." She mumbled.

"Can what?"

"Get better."

"That's far from true. You're a bright, young, beautiful girl. You've got more power than you think. You'll get through this, and you don't have to do it by yourself." Hayley smiled and intertwined her fingers with his.

"You really think so?" She asked. He could tell she was really needing him to confirm his previous statement.

"I really think so," he promised, "I really _know_ so."

The next day, Taylor was surprised to have seen the little bottles of alcohol still on Hayley's table.

"I see you didn't drink those." He mentioned as he watched her pull her knees up to her chest and wrap her arms around them.

"I didn't feel like it yet." She lied. The truth was that she stared at those bottles until she couldn't keep her eyes open, longing for their taste.

"You have yet to begin the 12 step, you know." Taylor was quite tired of her and even considering requesting a new patient. The problem was that she was just way too interesting.

"Well I'd begin it if I had a problem. So I guess there's that." She shrugged. She _really_ didn't care.

"You know, I talked to Zac yesterday." When he said this, Hayley's demeanor changed entirely. She seemed to tense, sitting up straight. "I also was given permission by him to observe your interactions yesterday. It was sweet, it does look like you two might be in a relationship."

"And so what if we were? That's not your business." She rolled her eyes, not sure of his intent.

"Well if you are, then you are. As your therapist, though it'd probably be helpful." He kept his eyes down on his notepad. Hayley was getting bored.

"We're not. He's like my brother." She sighed and closed her eyes, letting her head fall back.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Maybe she'd finally say something.

"I'm sleepy," she said, "I really wanna skip music and dinner to just sleep for the night." Taylor wrote this down.

"Speaking of music, I've heard that you don't seem to be enjoying music therapy. And I apologize, I shouldn't have assumed that you would enjoy it because of your occupation. Would you prefer art or maybe yoga?" His apology was sincere, but Hayley shook her head.

"Can I do music _and_ yoga?" She asked, "I really don't think two group therapy sessions are for me."

"That's fair. I'll figure something out." He said as he got up. "Goodnight," he said and began to make his way to the door. He switched the light off.

"Are we done?" She asked. "Why'd you turn the light off?"

"Because you're skipping music and dinner to sleep for the night. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


	4. Chapter 4

Taylor was beginning to feel like Hayley was going to make no progress for a very long time, but he didn't have forever. The only changes he'd seen in her were a softer side of her personality, where she sometimes told him how she really felt. Those moments, however, were seldom and often lacked depth.

He was able to recognize that Hayley knew that she shouldn't be drinking at all, over a week later and she had yet to touch the bottles of alcohol he'd given her. The most productive thought he had, though, was the idea that Hayley worked better on a less professional level.

"Have you ever heard the phrase, 'you can't set sail with your anchor down?'" He said as soon as he'd walked into the room.

"I'm doing fine, thanks. How are you?" She retorted. Taylor laughed.

"I don't want to bother asking how you're doing if you're not gonna actually tell me. Answer the question." Hayley sighed.

"No, I haven't," but she wished she had. She liked it, or maybe she liked it coming from him, she couldn't tell.

"Think about it for a while. What else is going on?" He asked.

"I think I'm dying." She wasn't joking, her face deadpanned as she picked at her nails.

"And why is this?" He asked, unsure of what to do about it.

"It just feels like I am," She said honestly. "Or like I'm already dead."

And then she closed her eyes and brought her knees put to her chest. Taylor noticed that she sat like that often, her back against the wall and her knees pulled up. The only time that she sat with her legs simply crisscrossed were the times he'd positioned the chair from her desk closer to the bed she sat on. Other than that, she didn't dare show her face.

For a second, Taylor thought he saw her body hiccup, but dismissed it, as she never showed feelings. But then she spoke up.

"Like there's nothing left."

And then he was sure, her body hiccuped and her voice wavered. With her faced buried in her knees, her sniffles were muffled and for some reason, Taylor felt compelled to make it better.

He jotted down the statement Hayley made and looked up at her. "Is that something you think about often?"

Hayley looked up at him and laughed. Her face was red and wet, but she looked beautiful in a plain sort of way. "No," and then she laughed harder, "Most of the time I think about how much I'd enjoy a burger and fries. That's not an option here."

Taylor laughed too, "They want you to be healthy."

"Which is great for the _most_ part, but right now it sucks." She sighed. "Can I ask you a favor, Benji?"

"I don't think I'm allowed to bring out a burger." He said.

"But you can bring me vodka?" She giggled, "I was actually going to ask if you could take me with you on your next smoke break. I'm dying to see anything but the courtyard."

Taylor stood up, "Okay. Let's go."

"Now?" She asked.

"Yeah, now." She followed him down the hall and out of the building. When he kept walking, Hayley grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

"Where are we _going_?" She questioned.

"Just come on," He told her and stopped at a car, "Get in."

"You know, just because you're my therapist, doesn't mean I should trust you." She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. He told his eyes and got into the driver's seat.

"Well?"

"Fine," She said and let herself into the passenger's side. "But if I go missing, Zac knows it's you. I warned him when he came to visit." Taylor shook his head and chuckled.

Before doing anything else, he lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. When he turned the car on, her music began to play immediately. Hayley burst out in laughter.

"Are you a fan, Benji?" She couldn't contain her laughter and for a second, her twang seemed to go away.

"I'd heard a couple of songs before I met you, but after, I decided to check you out. I figured that if you wouldn't tell me about how you felt, your music would." He said honestly, his fingers going to turn the volume down. Then he rolled the windows down.

"I guess that's valid," she told him. And then her smile faded, but failed to go away completely. Taylor didn't notice, though, because his eyes were focused on the road.

"Why didn't you tell me you have anxiety? More importantly, why don't any of your in-patient forms say it?" He asked. She shrugged.

"You're the therapist, you should know anxiety when you see it. I didn't feel it was relevant." Taylor rolled his eyes. Hayley made a wave-like motion with her hand outside of the window.

"I did know it, but you should have written it. Or maybe been honest about your panic attack. You can't expect everyone to read your mind, you know."

"Is the purpose of this ride to berate me?"

Taylor looked over at her for a second before reaching out and offering his cigarette to her. Her eyes moved from the cigarette to him and back again. On an impulse, she took it from him, only to flick it out of the window.

"I told you that I hate that smell."

"I'm not berating you and you're the one who asked to come. We're almost there, but I can most definitely turn around." Once again, his voice turned serious and Hayley didn't like it.

"I'd mind that if I knew where we were going." She mumbled. And then, he pointed at something. Looking over, Hayley saw that it was a small burger joint. "You're kidding."

"I'm not," he said, "and there's almost no catch."

"You know, I don't think there will ever _not_ be one. Lay it on me." For a reason she couldn't explain, she reached up and played with one of his curls and he didn't seem to mind.

"I want you to take a mental health examination tomorrow." And then he grabbed her wrist lightly and moved it back closer to her body.

"That's all? Just a test that'll tell you I have anxiety? Okay." She smiled and he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"But you have to take it honestly."


	5. Chapter 5

"So your first choice for a once in a lifetime opportunity is a cheeseburger? That's not very adventurous." Taylor commented after the waiter went away.

"I'm not too adventurous outside of Nashville anymore," she said honestly, "food poisoning on tour once. Never again."

"Never again." He repeated with a chuckle. Hayley pretended to gag as Taylor drowned his fries in ketchup. "What?"

"You're ruining perfectly good fries! You haven't even tried them yet and you're putting ketchup all over them. Not a single fry spared." She wiped fake tears from her eyes as he rolled his.

"All fries need ketchup." He shrugged his shoulders and carried on with his business. Hayley shook her head and hummed in disapproval.

"Here," She said as she lifted one of her fries. "Try this one." Carefully, She leaned forward and pressed the tip of the fry to Taylor's lips. He felt compelled to try it, so he took a bite. "Yum!" She exclaimed after popping the rest of it in her mouth.

"Yeah, but it still needs ketchup." A small smile crept up on his face.

"You're impossible." She laughed.

The pair sat in silence for a couple of minutes as they ate and Taylor couldn't help but wonder what it was that had brought Hayley back to reality and caused her to stop laughing.

"Can I ask you something?" His voice was quiet as if he were telling her a secret.

_Always, s_ he thought. "Shoot." She told him.

"What is it that makes you so miserable?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"It's like.. like you won't let yourself be happy. You _want_ your bubble to burst. Why?" He watched Hayley's eyebrows furrow and asked himself if he was being unclear.

"I still don't get it. Like.. in life?" She asked him for clarification.

"It's like.. things aren't good for you. It's bad to worse, every time." He explained.

"Oh," she looked down and her food, "I wouldn't say that. I could think of a few good things."

"I hope you'll tell me about them at some point."

"Me too." Her words were quiet, yet filled with emotion. And then she couldn't look at him.

Taylor cleared his throat and said, "I use to come here with my dad when I was a kid. It was my favorite place to eat." He smiled slightly at the memory.

"Well, that's a cute story, Benji. And if you'd told me this place was trustworthy, maybe I would have been more adventurous." She smiled before sticking her tongue out at him.

"Maybe next time." _Next time._

_"_ Okay," Taylor said as he entered Hayley's room two therapy sessions later. "I'm not gonna lie, your evaluation didn't go so well."

"Anxiety, yes, I know." Hayley rolled her eyes.

"And depression, which I expected. I'm worried, though, because your evaluation included a couple of responses that suggest post-traumatic stress. They weren't excessive, there were literally only two, but I'd like to touch on that at some point." He seemed to be reading his notes.

Hayley mumbled something about her supposed trauma being bullshit and Taylor sighed.

"You know what's good though? The head of your record label, a Mr. Gilbert, called and asked if he could come see you. Visitors are good." Taylor's smile quickly faded at the sight of Hayley's sudden look of fear.

"No. Tell him he can't come here," she said, "He _can't_ come here."

"Why?" He challenged, suddenly sure it had to do with her 'bullshit trauma.'

"Because." She said. And that was that. She didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"But why? Zac comes, why can't Mr. Gilbert?" He was very clearly determined to get an answer out of her.

"Just tell him he can't."

"No can do," he laughed nervously, "Your visitation restrictions only apply to paparazzi and reporters and fans. Not your record label. You made that choice. And I'm afraid, Hayley, that he's coming today."

Hayley's breathing deepened and slowed. Taylor leaned forward in his chair. For the first time in a while, she curled up in her chair.

"Is there something I need to know about him, Hayley?" He asked softly. She shook her head. "Would you like me to observe the visit?" She nodded. "From inside of the room?" She nodded again. "Okay."

"Is Zac coming?" She asked.

"Mr. Gilbert didn't say."

"That's stupid," She said, "Zac would have been the one to call if he were coming."

Hayley looked down for a while, but every so often she would glance up at Taylor who seemed to be analyzing her.

Just as Hayley was about to ask her why he was staring at her, a worker opened the door and informed them that there was a visitor.

"Ready?" He asked, earning a nod in response. Together, they made their way to the visiting area.

"Hey, babydoll," the man said.

"Mr. Gilbert," she greeted. He beckoned her and she came forward automatically. Taylor watched these interactions carefully.

"Chad," he corrected. Hayley nodded in response just before he leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She rose up on her toes and responded quietly.

Taylor couldn't exactly place it, but something felt off about their exchanges such as when he pulled her into a hug a little too close and her arms stuck by her sides.

Chad swayed them back and forth and seemingly mumbled things to her that Taylor couldn't hear, but was able to see Hayley's fingers nervously tap her sides.

"And Zac?" She asked when he finally stepped back. Chad let out a laugh and curled his fingers around Hayley's wrist.

"I can't visit my favorite client without her manager?" He asked, but he wasn't smiling. Hayley pulled her arm back and mumbled a barely audible 'sorry.' "I'm very proud of you for all the sales you've been bringing in, princess."

"Thank you." She told him. And then she leaned up and whispered something once again.

"No, baby, not with all the sales you've brought in lately." He smiled at her and toyed with her hair. She seemed to smile. His phone buzzed and he sighed. "I've gotta go. I'll come back soon." Hayley nodded.

And just like that, the visit was over. Taylor couldn't help but feel like something was seriously wrong with their relationship. Normally, you couldn't get Hayley to quit her sarcasm, but with Chad, she would barely speak. He made a mental note to touch on that later.


	6. Chapter 6

"I think that the last thing I expected to see when I walked in was you doing anything but sitting on your bed. You do that a lot." Taylor said. Hayley was still red.

"Yeah, well I enjoy yoga. It occupies the mind. I suppose, though, that I shouldn't go into downward dog with my back facing the door ever again." She responded.

"The sound you made when I came in was pretty impressive, though. I assume your vocal range is very large." He laughed. She nodded. "I'm also sorry that you fell on your face."

"It happens. So what's up?"

"No, no, Hayley. These sessions are about you. What's on your mind today?" He asked.

"Am I your favorite client?"

"What?"

"That's what's on my mind. You're the one who asked," she laughed.

"Why would you think that you are?" He asked, his eyebrows knitting into a curious tangle.

"Well that was harsh," she commented.

"I didn't mean it like that, I just don't have a favorite." He explained.

"It's fine." She told him. "Anyway, I would really like to see my dog soon, I miss him."

"Well, I'm worried that I can't make you not miss your dog. I can tell you that I believe that you're ready for a sober companion. So on Monday, you'll be moved a short distance to a set of apartments that the facility owns into an apartment with a roommate. He'll help you." He smiled and she looked confused "What?"

"Will I come back here?" She asked.

"Why would you come back here?"

"For therapy?"

"Oh, no," he explained, "you won't have therapy every day anymore, you'll have therapy with me on Wednesdays only."

"Oh," she said, and for a second she looked like she was disappointed.

"Is that okay for you?" He asked, she shrugged.

"It doesn't really matter to me." She told him.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do as far as finding a therapist after you leave here?"

"No, but I assume that someone on my team will be able to handle that. My only job is to write and sing." She gave him a smile, "And reign with tyranny, of course, right?"

"I only said that because you were being annoying." He rolled his eyes. "Let me jot that down: 'can't let things go.'"

"What do you _really_ write down?" She asked him. "'Cause I don't think you write at all."

"I do too write. Right here, this says, 'Class A for asshole.' And this one says, 'Pretends not to care.' Oh! Here, I wrote, 'Entitled.'" He smirked as she got up and snatched the clipboard from him.

"This is blank! You don't write anything!"

"Well that's because today, you haven't given me anything worth writing. I normally do write. But that's not your business, is it?" She dropped the clipboard back in his lap and returned to her seat.

She then promptly crossed her arms and looked away. "That's because I don't get to choose what we talk about."

"What would you like to talk about?" He wondered aloud.

"You." Taylor sighed and shook his head.

"Fine. Let's do this: You ask a question and then I'll ask a question, deal?" She was without a doubt his most annoying patient, but was somehow fairly easy to work with.

"Deal. Why are you so uptight?" She smirked.

"The proper word is _sane_. Why are you an alcoholic?" He shot back.

"I'm not, I drink socially. Are you an only child?" She asked, "You act like one."

"No, I have two brothers. If you're not an alcoholic, why did you check in here?" This was a question he'd been asking himself a long time.

"The label threatened my deal. What are their names?" She shrugged as if that were a casual thing to admit.

"Chris and Justin. So you checked in here to save your career?" That seemed shallow.

"Not my career, but my ability to make music. Are Chris and Justin cute?" Taylor rolled his eyes.

"They're too old for you. So music is most important to you?"

"Yes, it is. Isn't that for me to decide?" She retorted.

"They are. Besides, neither of them are single. I hardly think my niece would appreciate having you as a stepmother. Why hasn't your mom come to visit you?"

"She's either respecting my wish for her not to, or she's disappointed in me. Most likely the latter. What's that supposed to mean?" She was slightly offended.

"That she likes her mother. Is your mother nicer than you?"

"Yes, which is probably why she's so disappointed in me now. Are your brothers less uptight than you?" She smiled at him, but it wasn't a nice smile.

"You know, my family often comments on this. They seem to believe that my history of relationships in comparison to those of my brothers is proof of me being so uptight. Do you really believe she's disappointed in you?" Hayley smirked at Taylor again.

"I don't know, I've never asked. And what does your history of relationships look like?" He laughed.

"Well, it's short. And that's all I can say about it. I can't say that I've ever actually connected with a woman. What does yours look like?" Hayley rolled her eyes.

"I've had all of two real relationships. The rest were press. Even then, I don't think I really even liked those two guys anyway. Both were fame hungry and horny. What about guys?" Taylor deadpanned.

"I'm not gay." He told her.

"You don't have to be gay to connect with a man. There are other sexualities. You forgot your question." It then occurred to him that Hayley was serious.

"No, I haven't connected with a man, either. Uh.. these publicity relationships. Set up by your record label?" He asked, remembering Mr. Gilbert's strange behavior.

"Yup, every single guy sucked. Have you tried online dating?" _Is my client actually trying to give me dating advice right now?_ He thought. His face flushed red.

"That's how I met the last girl I dated. I'll be honest, women think I'm boring. Why did you only date the two guys that you didn't actually like instead of someone you did?" Hayley sighed and looked down.

"Women think you're boring? No way, I'd kill for a therapist from a small town in upstate New York! Anyway, it's complicated. Have you ever left New York?" Taylor rolled his eyes at Hayley's sarcasm.

"Yes, I take Nora to New Jersey all the time. She loves those disgusting beaches. How is it complicated?" Hayley seemed to be more interested in the conversation now.

"Well.. I'm not really permitted to just go out and meet guys. I have a demanding career and a boss who told me I couldn't. Nora?" If she had to admit, she didn't think Nora was the cutest name in the world.

"Nora, my niece. Occasionally, she'll spend a weekend with me. We have a lot of fun. Assuming your boss is Mr. Gilbert, why wouldn't he let you? Also you get one more question, time is up." Hayley thought carefully as she got up and opened the door and gestured toward it for him.

"I don't want to talk about it. And finally, will you tell Nora that your favorite patient said hello?" She smiled sweetly at him as he walked out of the door, absolutely baffled.


	7. Chapter 7

Hayley had been living with her sober companion for a little over a week. It was unusual, though, because she didn't know that the arrangement of a sober companion varied depending on the person and facility. Her sober companion was pretty nice though. He was comforting and funny and had all nine seasons of the Office on DVD.

"Why do you only eat salads?" Liam asked her one day. "That's pretty boring."

"Healthy lifestyle, remember?" And then she laughed, "Besides, I frequent a diner around here before my therapy appointments. Their burgers are great." She smiled as she thought about that day at the diner with Taylor.

"So you make me watch you eat salads for dinner every night?" Hayley grinned and nodded, causing him to laugh.

"But I don't _make_ you. You choose to. And salads are good!" She defended. They laughed together.

"We're having takeout tonight and you aren't getting a salad!" He said as he got up from his seat. "When I get back, the Office better be ready to play!" Hayley nodded and waited got up to retrieve the DVDs.

During dinner, Liam suddenly stopped and looked up at Hayley, his mouth full. "Why is it that you say you don't have a drinking problem?"

"Because I don't. Haven't you noticed? I'm fine." She smiled.

"Then why am I your sober companion?"

"Dr. York told me that I was getting a companion." She shrugged.

"Why do you visit him?" He asked. If she didn't have a problem, she really had no need for a therapist.

"To keep my record deal. You already know all this." She told him.

"Yeah, I do. I was just wondering." He told her. "Back to the show now."

After dinner, Liam knocked on Hayley's door. A faint, 'come in,' compelled him to open the door. She was leaning back on her pillows, writing in her notebook.

"I'm going out for a while. Don't wait up." He said. She nodded.

"Didn't plan on it. I'm getting ready to turn in. So, I'll be asleep when you get back. Goodnight." She gave him a warm smile. He returned a friendly one.

"That's cool. 'Night." And then he left, as he did every night, and Hayley wasn't the least bit bothered by it. She did feel suspicious about it, but always thought, _Who knows? Maybe he has a lot of friends and likes to visit them frequently._

Therapy, however, wasn't going so well. She kind of missed seeing Taylor every day. It sort of felt like seeing him once a week wasn't enough. Needless to say, her second meeting with him involved a lot of catching up.

"How's it going?" Taylor had asked her.

"Well, Benji, Liam is just a walk in the park." She smiled. Her smile had a hint of sarcasm to it.

"Not liking it?" He questioned.

"No, no, he's actually really nice. It's just a little boring. I feel like he leaves pretty often. Anyway, how are you? Did you ever tell Nora I said hi?" She asked.

"Yes, I did and now Justin keeps asking who you are. But you and I have doctor-patient confidentiality. So it's annoying. Are we playing the question game again?" He suddenly realized that that was his question.

"Yes we are. Why don't you just tell Justin that I'm a person?" Seemed simple enough.

"Because you're a woman and as soon as I openly mention a woman in front of a family member, they think it's a thing. Did you ever drink that alcohol I brought you?" He hadn't seen it since a few days after he'd given it to her.

"Nope, I shoved it in a drawer and forgot about it. Will I ever get to meet Nora?" Taylor's eyes widened slightly.

"Realistically, no. Why didn't you drink it?"

"Because you were trying to trick me. Why not? I love kids!" She wasn't amused.

"Because you're my patient, it's unethical and again, my family will think it's a thing. You think I was trying to trick you?"

"Yes, I do. And weren't you?" She tilted her head to the side slightly. Taylor's eyes followed hers.

"I wasn't tricking you, but it was a test. How often did you want to drink it?" She seemed to think for a second.

"Very often. Did I pass this test that you speak of?" Taylor laughed at her word choice.

"It wasn't that type of test. I was testing your thought process, really. I wanted to see if you could control yourself. What made you not drink if you wanted to?" Hayley guffawed.

"That's my business, Benji. But I guess you know I can control myself. Do you have any pictures of Nora?" She grinned at him as he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I do. I'll show you pictures next time. Why are you so interested in my family?"

"Because I like to know about people. Why are you so interested in me?" She asked with a smirk.

"Because it's my job. Why are you such a nuisance?" He asked, a smirk of his own forming.

"Because it annoys you. It's a personal hobby. Why are you so uptight?" She asked him this a lot.

"The proper word is professional. Why do you avoid your feelings?" Her first response to his question was a scoff.

"Because people are less concerned that way. Why were you so mean the day we met?" She asked. Taylor was taken aback. He hardly remembered the day they met.

"If I recall correctly, I found your behavior off putting. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, it's just that I think about that day a lot and I feel that maybe you confused professional behavior with just being a butt. Are you like that with your other patients?" Up until that point, she had completely forgotten he had other patients at all.

"No. I'm usually a lot more welcoming than that. Are you usually so off putting to people you meet?" He asked. She laughed.

"Probably, I don't know. I don't meet people on such a personal level all too often." She said.

"That's sad." He thought aloud.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Okay, last question, can this meeting be over?" Taylor shook his head at her with a slight smile.

"If you wish, my liege."

"The sarcasm is remarkable," she murmured as the exited his office. "Catch ya later, Benji."

"Goodbye, Hayley."

She tried her best to keep her mind off of therapy, because then she would get excited for her next meeting with Taylor. Of course, being excited for seven consecutive days to sit with someone for an hour and a half in a professional setting never really did anyone any good. So, she scribbled away at her notebook, occasionally doodling a little picture in the margins of the pages she had already written.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hayley, I'm going out for a while, I'll be back later." Liam told her shortly after she had gotten home from her therapy appointment one late afternoon.

"Oh," she said, "okay. Do you want me to wait on dinner or?"

"No," he chuckled, "You might wanna eat without me. I'll be gone a while."

"Okay. Well, have fun." She told him. He laughed again and left. It was frustrating, really, for her to be alone for no reason at extended periods of time. It was boring.

She often found herself thinking about Taylor when she was alone, but he made it clear to her that if she didn't have an actual reason for calling, he would block her number. So, she left his card where his office info was on the front and his number was messily scrawled on the back in her purse. She tapped her fingers before deciding to eat leftovers.

Later that night, Liam came back. He was full of energy and found his way to Hayley's bedroom.

"Hey," She said, closing her notebook, "fun evening?"

"Super." He told her. "Anyway, you seem like you don't give a fuck. Wanna have some fun?" Hayley hummed an unsure response. "C'mon." He gestured for her to follow him into the living room, she did.

There was a bottle of vodka on the coffee table and two shot glasses. Hayley looked at the table and then back at Liam.

"Is this some sort of test?" She asked him. She then decided that she wouldn't be surprised if she took him up on the offer and he told Taylor. "Did Dr. York put you up to this?"

Liam laughed as he took a seat on the couch before opening the bottle. "Not a test. You just don't seem to care about your habits. After all, you say you're not an alcoholic. So let's have some fun." He poured two shots and slid one to the other side of the table. She took a seat opposite him.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." She decided. Before taking the shot, she watched Liam throw his back without a reaction and pour himself another. Can't be too bad, she thought before downing hers. "What the hell, Liam, what is this?"

"90 proof, can't handle it?" He teased. He was on his third shot.

"I never said that." He poured her another. She took it. He poured himself another, and another, and another. When he poured a third one for Hayley, she hesitated. While he kept going, she bit her lip and tried to ignore the feeling in her stomach and tears in her eyes.

"Shit," he said on his eighth shot. "You know what'll really get you going?" And then he fished out a small bag from his pocket.

"Holy shit, is that cocaine?" She asked him. Her eyes were wide and she could feel tears begging to spill over.

"Don't say it like that. It's nothing. Look," he said, pouring a small amount on the table, "let me go get something to make lines with, and then you're gonna try it. You know you want to."

Hayley nodded and wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and watched him disappear down the hall. As soon as he was out of sight, she got up and began to pace. The tears that once threatened to spill over began to flow. Quickly, she went to her room and pulled her phone off the charger. As she reached for her purse, she attempted to quiet a sob and failed. So, she grabbed those two items and left.

Once outside of the apartment building, she dug through her purse for Taylor's card. It was late and she knew his office was closed, so she flipped the card over. As her hands shook, she dialed the number as quickly as she could. It rang and then it rains again and again and again before going to voicemail. She called him back immediately. This time, on the third ring, he picked up.

"Hello?" He said groggily.

"Taylor," Hayley sobbed.

"Hayley? What's wrong?" He asked. Hayley couldn't see him, but he sat up in bed. She sobbed again.

"I'm sorry," she told him, "I understand that I'm not supposed to be drinking but I only had two shots and I realized immediately that it was wrong and I couldn't just sit there and watch him do cocaine!"

"Who?" Taylor asked, he was already getting out of bed.

"Liam!" She was only getting more hysterical and as her therapist, Taylor was concerned that Hayley had driven herself to a panic attack and felt the need to get her out of the situation.

"Liam, cocaine?" He asked. "Okay, Hayley. Are you still there?"

"I left the building."

"I'm going to come get you, okay? The facility is closed for the night, so we'll have to figure out where you'll go for just tonight. I'm on my way." Taylor sighed as he pulled pants on and quickly grabbed his car keys on the way to the door.

"Please hurry." Hayley begged before ending the call.

Hayley was sitting on the ground when Taylor pulled up. She looked broken. He got out of the car in a haste and helped her up. She threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. He hugged her back and moved them toward the car. She got in and he went back around to his side.

She hadn't buckled up before he got in, so he reached over and grabbed the seat belt, clicking it in near her side.

"Do you want me to check you into a hotel?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I don't, uh, I don't know that it's the best idea for me to be alone." She told him. And he was at a crossroads, because as a person who cared about her, he wanted to take her to his house and keep her safe but as her therapist, he knew he shouldn't.

"Do you want to go to my apartment?" He asked, half expecting her to say no. "It's a little messy, I had Nora last night and haven't found the time to clean it."

"Are you sure?" She questioned.

"Yes, I'm sure I haven't found the time to clean it. I tripped on a Barbie on my way to bed." He laughed.

"No, that I can go to your place." She clarified.

"I was kidding," he chuckled, "I don't mind at all." And the rest of the ride was filled by Hayley's slowing sobs and sniffles.

Upon entering Taylor's apartment, Hayley was amazed. It was an industrial studio apartment with a loft area where she assumed his bed was. The ceilings were high and there was a nicely-sized skylight. He dropped his keys on the table next to the door and slipped off his jacket.

"It's pretty late, so you can take my bed, it's just up the stairs," he said, "unless you want to talk about it."

Hayley shook her head. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all," he told her sincerely. "Goodnight."

"G'night." And then she made her way up to his loft. His blankets were already pulled back. Sadness tugged at her stomach again. She walked to the railing. "Sorry, you know, for waking you."

"No need to apologize. I'm glad you changed your mind and called." He smiled warmly at her, "You should be proud of yourself."

In the morning, Hayley woke up to the smell of breakfast being made. She got up and walked over to the railing of the loft and hung her upper body over. She watched him move around silently and noticed that he seemed to know well enough what he was doing. And she would have stayed their had it not been for her allergies brought upon by upcoming spring causing her to sneeze.

Taylor looked up. "Come down, we need to talk."

Hayley at down at the table. "Good morning." She greeted.

"Good morning. I wanted to talk to you about your options, but I need you to promise me that you'll actually allow someone to help you this time." He sat two plates down on the table and sat across from her.

"Someone?" She questioned. She tasted the eggs on her plate, way better than expected.

"Yes, someone. I say that because who works with you really depends on your choice." He explained. "Not every choice involves me or this particular facility."

"So what are the options?" She asked him. She watched him pick up the bottle of ketchup from the table.

"Well I truly apologize for last night. Sober companions, as you know, are-"

"Wait, wait, _please_ don't put ketchup on your eggs. That's so gross!" She interrupted.

To bother her further, he put more ketchup than usual. She watched in disgust as he mixed them. "I was saying," he continued with a smirk on his face, "that sober companions are ex-addicts and Liam is a new one that I haven't worked with before. He will be expelled from the program. About your options, though, I feel that you should go back into the facility. Or consider outpatient treatment in Nashville."

She shook her head, "I don't want to go back to Nashville right now. Could I do outpatient treatment here?"

"You're just going to get an apartment here?" He asked

"I can do that." She informed him. He nodded.

"Yes, you can do the treatment here." He told her.

"I'm not going to furnish an apartment here, I'll check into an extended stay." She smiled.

"Then we can do that today and start immediately."


	9. Chapter 9

"Hi, hi!" Hayley said as she entered Taylor's office, slightly bouncy.

"You seem to be in a good mood. Anything new happen?" He asked.

"Yes! I finally settled into the extended stay and had some of my stuff shipped out to make it more homey. The best part was the grocery shopping and making myself dinner. And I ate by myself, it was so peaceful, I loved it!" She rambled.

"So you enjoy your solitude?" He asked, "That's not a vibe I get from you."

"Honestly, I usually don't like being by myself. It just felt right yesterday. Anyway how are you?" She asked.

"We're not doing that today, we're going to have a real therapy session." He said, "You agreed to this."

Hayley sighed, "I know," she told him, "I'm just nervous."

"That's normal. Let's go with some easy questions. When did you start drinking?" Because she had never given him clear answers to his questions, she knew that they had to start over.

"I can't remember exactly, either when I was 18 or 19." She thought about her answer after she said it. "More likely, 19."

"And your career started when you were 17." He stated. She nodded in confirmation. "What made you start drinking?"

"Wait, no. I think I actually started drinking when I was 20. It was easier to get away with because I was almost legal. I started drinking when I experienced situations that I knew I couldn't fix or control. I'm scared of the things I can't control." Hayley explained.

"Can you give an example?"

"Well, the older I got, more weight was piled on. More tours, shorter breaks, more things were wrong with me. More changes had to be made for my 'image.'" Taylor wrote this down.

"What kind of changes were being made?" He inquired.

"Zac was in control less. The label controlled me." She told him.

"Do you regret your fame?"

"Of course not," she said, "I'm grateful for it. I'm glad to know that there are people who feel the same way I do."

"Depressed." Taylor said.

"And anxious. But isn't that how everyone feels?" She chuckled.

"How has it felt to not have alcohol in this long? Aside from the two shots, of course." Hayley wasn't sure what her answer was supposed to be.

"At first, it really sucked. I think maybe that's why I was such an ass when we had our first session. I hadn't been so sober in such a long time. But it was interesting because I wasn't going to die without it." She said.

"I knew that you were irritable because you were having slight withdrawals. And you didn't act like you were going to die without it. It was just disrupting who you are. And that's the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism." He explained.

"I mean, I knew it was a fixable situation, I just didn't mention it to anyone." She said.

Taylor nodded. "Can we talk about Mr. Gilbert? Your interactions with others him were.. strange."

Hayley shifted uncomfortably. "I don't.. I don't know.." she trailed off nervously. She looked scared.

"That's okay," He told her, "you don't have to talk about that today. How about I show you some pictures of Nora?" She smiled and nodded, so he pulled out his phone as he moved to the chair next to her.

They scrolled through pictures for a while before Taylor stopped at one where a Nora was smiling so hard that her eyes were closed and chocolate ice cream was spread all over her mouth. "I have a print getting made of this picture for my sister-in-law's birthday."

"She's cute. I only want to meet her more now." Hayley pouted.

"I can't do that. That kid runs her mouth like hell, she'd tell my brother in a heartbeat." Taylor laughed. "But anyway," He said, moving back to his side of the desk, "You said you've been writing?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "I have. It's not the best, though, because I don't actually have any full songs. They've got potential though. Wanna see?"

"If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to see." He told her. She pulled her notebook out from her bag and flipped a few pages. "You should read this one."

Taylor looked at the paper and said before he began to read out loud, "I think the little paragraphs in poetry are called stanzas." Hayley nodded. "Here I go, 'Your heart's as heavy as the stones you throw. Can't see the flowers for the weeds you grow. You blow your bubbles just to watch them burst. For you, it's always bad to worse.'" And then he let out a small laugh. "This is self-critical. 'Your neighbor's dirty laundry's cleaner, and the wolf at your door's always meaner. Your sky is still grey when the sun's around, but you can't set sail with your anchor down.' I like that quote, is it original?"

Hayley laughed at him teasing her, "I'll make sure to credit you as a writer. It still needs a chorus and I guess it'll come to me at some point."

"Do you mind if I turn the page?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Go ahead." She smiled. So he did. Clearly, Hayley had forgotten what the next page was.

Taylor raised his eyebrows at something at the top of the page but chose to ignore it. "'Help me come back down from high above the clouds. You know, I'm suffocating, but I blame this town. Why do I-" Hayley jumped forward with wide eyes.

"Not that one!" She yelled as she grabbed the notebook from his hands. "Sorry. I forgot that one was next. That might be a little too personal."

"Oh, well that's fine. Just one question. How many curly-haired guys with glasses do you know?" Hayley was almost sure she saw a smirk form on his face as she flushed red.

"Quite a few, okay, Benji? Is my time up yet? Can I go?" She pleaded.

"Yes, Hayley. Bye." He chuckled. She stuffed her notebook into her bag and left fairly quickly.

All the way to her temporary home, she couldn't get her mind off of the curly-haired, glasses-wearing doodle in the corner of the page of the song that was practically begging someone to love her. She was embarrassed, but more angry at herself for forgetting to rip that page out.


	10. Chapter 10

Hayley looked at Zac through her phone screen. He originally called just to show her Alf but ended up staying for a tell all about her ex sober companion Liam and decision to stay in New York longer.

"If you think there's anything but trees out here, you're dead wrong." Hayley told him with a laugh.

"No guy?" Zac asked.

"What?"

"You heard me! I can see you glowing, Hayley. You either met someone you like or got laid." He joked.

"I don't get laid, you know that. You seem to be pretty peachy, did _you_ get laid?" Zac laughed and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Well now that you mention it, I did meet a chick when I went out not too long ago and she's _amazing_." Together, he and Hayley burst out laughing.

"Well, tell her I said hi. Better yet, after I get back to Nashville, bring her to a concert!" She exclaimed.

"No." Zac told her.

"Why not?" She whined.

"Because you're gonna make it weird! I know you!" And Hayley knew that he knew she would want to make it weird. Why wouldn't she? It would be hilarious.

"What if I promise not to make it weird?" She begged.

"Hayley, you better put it on God." He decided.

"Okay, okay! I, Hayley Nichole Williams, swear on _God_ that I won't make it weird." She promised.

"You'll be damned, Hayley. I promise you'll be damned if you make it weird." She put her hand over her heart and nodded at him. "Hey," he said suddenly, "I haven't asked how therapy was going."

And then Hayley suddenly thought back to Taylor reading her notebook and her cheeks flushed red. "It's going okay."

"You're lying."

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"Fine, whatever! It's going okay, it's just weird, honestly. How do you pour your heart out to someone for an hour and a half and not feel awkward about it?" She wondered aloud.

"We've been on the phone for five hours, Hayley. We just technically ate dinner together. And you cried a little bit, so I don't follow you."

"It's different," she groaned, "You're like my best friend."

"I'm also a 30 year old man. It's a little weird," Zac chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah." She mumbled.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Zac had been responding to an inquiry about Hayley and she had been daydreaming.

"Hayles?" He said after an extended silence.

"Yeah?" She mumbled as he pulled her out of a daydream.

"I really am glad that you're getting better." He told her. She gave him a small smile.

"Me too," she told him. "I'm sorry about how I was before."

"I know, kid." Zac smiled softly and looked at Hayley for a short moment. "You are glowing, though. You better tell me all about him!"

She knew that eventually Zac would get back to the topic of her having a crush. It was like they were in middle school and Zac was that annoying friend you occasionally regretted making.

"There isn't one!" She whined. "At least I hope not."

"Please explain."

"I don't know! It's just.. you know how I feel about relationships, Z." She told him with a sigh. Zac let out a chuckle.

"I also know that you're far too young to be cynical about love." He'd told Hayley this over a million times, but he knew it wouldn't get through to her until she fell hard.

"Yeah, yeah, so I've heard." She told him. "But really, it's nothing."

"Suit yourself. I say go for it!" He grinned as Hayley laughed and rolled her eyes again.

"Hey," She said to get his attention, "How's my mom?"

"Your mom is worried and she misses you. She'd like to go check up on you, if you let her." He said softly.

"No, no. Tell her I'm fine. She can FaceTime me anytime, you know. Tell her that. And that I love her." Hayley ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh.

"I will. It's a little late." Zac said as he checked his watch. "You should get some rest."

"Yeah, you're right," she agreed. "Goodnight. I loooove you."

The man laughed with a roll of his eyes before blowing a kiss. "Love you too, kid."

And then they hung up. The bed was comfortable, but Hayley couldn't sleep. It was killing her to even think that for once, she might actually believe that love had a place in her life. She realized something had to be done.

After what seemed like eons but was likely only a few hours of turning in bed, Hayley decided there was no use in trying to sleep. She sat up, darkness surrounding her, with her back against the headboard and stared into the seemingly dark abyss that was the hallway. There was no amount of time that could make her sleepy.

So there she sat, cogitating in the blackness of her borrowed room. At some point, she figured she should reach out to her mother herself rather than having Zac do it all the time. So she did.

**_Hayley 3:54 a.m._ **   
**_hey_ **

**_Hayley 3:54 a.m._ **   
**_was just thinking about how much i miss you and being home._ **

**_Hayley 3:55 a.m._ **   
**_don't worry though, everything is fine. be home soon._ **

**_Hayley 3:56 a.m._ **   
**_love you_ **

She didn't expect to get a response, but she should have known that sending multiple texts in a row would wake her mother who was a relatively light sleeper.

**_Momma 3:58 a.m._ **   
**_Couldn't sleep?_ **

**_Hayley 3:59 a.m._ **   
**_not really_ **

**_Hayley 3:59 a.m._ **   
**_but it's okay. i just got energized seeing alf and talking to z for so long_ **

**_Momma 4:01 a.m._ **   
**_Probably. Try to get some sleep._ **

**_Hayley 4:02 a.m._ **   
**_will do_ **

And somehow Hayley felt better after a short conversation with her mother. Things were clearer, and she enjoyed knowing that her mom wasn't as disappointed in her as she originally thought.

She still couldn't sleep, though. She decided that being so gloomy probably wasn't helping, so she turned her lamp on and pulled out a book from the drawer next to her bed. She read for a while and then didn't remember anything between pulling out the book and her alarm going off.

It was easy to assume she had fallen asleep not too long after because she was still sitting up and there was an open book in her lap when the sun came up.


	11. Chapter 11

"Yeah, so really, if it came to it, I don't think I would want to-" And right in the middle of Taylor's sentence, Hayley's phone rang.

She sighed, "It's my mom." Taylor gestured for her to answer it, so she did.

Cristi'a face appeared on the screen. "Hi, Hayles, how ya doin'?" Hayley smiled.

"I'm doing fine. I'm in therapy right now, see?" She flipped the camera so that her mother could see Taylor. He waved for the camera with a warm smile.

"Oh," Cristi said, "He's kind of cute."

Hayley turned red. "Fuck. Mom!"

"Hey! Don't say that!" Cristi reprimanded.

Hayley looked at her mother with a smirk before looking back up at Taylor. "Fuck."

"Stop!" The woman groaned.

"Hey, you embarrassed me first!" She defended.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Cristi chuckled. "I'll let you get back to your session. Make sure you actually talk about how you feel, okay?"

"Yes, mom." She said.

"Okay! Also maybe see if he's single! Bye, I love you!" And then she hung up. Hayley's cheeks reddened once more with a pout.

"She's embarrassing, I'm sorry." She apologized. "You were saying?"

"After that? I can't really remember." He told her with a laugh. "She's quite the character, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is." Hayley agreed. "But I can never tell if she purposely tries to embarrass me or if she really thinks she's being discreet or something."

"Maybe a little bit of both."

"Yeah."

They laughed together for a couple of seconds before Taylor remembered that he had a job to do and cleared his throat. "Anyway, I noticed that you've seemed a little tired lately. Is everything okay?"

"I have slept for two and a half hours every night for the last four days." She told him.

"Why is that? Are you unable to sleep?"

"I just stay up thinking." She told him honestly.

"What do you think about?"

"I'd rather not say." She couldn't tell him what it was that she thought about because it was humiliating.

"That's perfectly fine," he assured. "What else has been going on?"

"Oh! I was also wondering about something." She told him. "That night, I noticed a guitar in your room, do you play?"

"Yeah, I do. I probably don't play very well though." He said pensively.

"But it's wrong." She thought aloud.

"What's wrong?" He questioned.

"You're left handed. The guitar isn't a left handed guitar." She told him as if he didn't already know either of those things. He laughed.

"I play right handed." He explained. "That's just how I learned."

"Oh, okay." She thought for a minute before asking, "How often do you spend time with Nora?"

"I spend a lot of time with her. More than usual, though, because sister-in-law just had another baby. I just want to make sure Nora is equally taken care of and out of the way. She can be a handful."

"That sucks for Nora. Busy parents, you know?" She said. Taylor nodded.

Hayley looked like he wanted to say more, so he waited. This, however, resulted in several minutes of silence. All the while, Hayley was weighing her options. Somehow for her, the truth always came with a consequence.

"Taylor?" She spoke up suddenly. He looked up at her and set his pen down.

"Yes, Hayley?" He responded.

"I think you're interesting." She said almost shamefully.

"So it seems. I find that you ask more about my personal life than any other client ever has." She examined his face carefully for she couldn't tell if he was joking or not. But he wasn't. He was really just that clueless.

"No," she groaned. "You said women don't find you interesting. I do. I have feelings for you." And in that moment, Hayley felt everything in her change. She'd never spoken those words before, but it felt like the right thing to do. "It's you. You're what I think about at night. That's why I can't sleep."

"Oh," Taylor said, "would you like to try some insomnia medication? There's one specific one that seems to work best with your particular combination of meds."

"No, Taylor, I want you to say something." She said.

"About what?" He asked.

"About what I just told you!" She exclaimed. But he didn't. He kept silent. She sighed. "Fine."

"Have you talked to Zac lately?" He suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"When?" He was hopeful that Hayley hadn't surrounded herself with silence in her free time.

"Monday."

"Well, it's Friday today. What's made you not talk to him?"

"Schedules."

"That's fair. Have you two discussed a time when he can visit?"

"No."

Taylor considered saying something to get a rise out of Hayley just as he did the day they'd first met. Having learned more about her since then, he struggled to find an angle that wouldn't be cruel. Before he could, Hayley stood up and grabbed her bag.

"My time is up." She said with a small gesture to the clock. And then she left without another word.

She felt bad for not actually trying to talk to him, but she was humiliated. She had enough trouble expressing her feelings without such a careless rejection. Hayley was mad at herself because the tightrope she called life made Taylor not worth the fall.

That night, she considered the option to quit the program as a whole. Surely it couldn't be that hard to avoid alcohol for the sake of staying sober. There were people around her that had a better idea of how she should cope with her feelings that Taylor.

Taylor, on the other hand felt that he was best suited to help her. He was the only person who both knew her beyond her fame and was highly skilled in suggesting useful coping methods for her.

Neither of them knew just what the other was feeling in the moment that they both climbed into bed that night. Hayley was praying she was having a nightmare and Taylor was pretending he didn't just completely ignore a person's feelings for the sake of his three year old niece's fun weekend. The only common thought they had was that neither of them knew what to do.


	12. Chapter 12

After a whole weekend of solitude and silence, it was easy to say that Hayley was dreading going back into Taylor's office once more. She was nervous about what he'd say, but she wanted to see him nonetheless.

"Hayley!" Alice called as Hayley walked in. Hayley walked over to her desk.

"Yes, Alice?" Hayley asked, pushing her sunglasses up into the top of her head.

Alice pulled an envelope out of her desk. "Dr. York asked me to give this to you. He also said you should wait til later to open it. He's not here today, but his substitute is. You can go on in." Hayley appreciated Alice's attempt to be helpful.

"Thanks." She smiled and made her way into the office.

"Hello, Hayley. I'm Dr. Anderson. I work regularly with Dr. York and all of his other clients. I understand that you've agreed to see only him, but I hope I can be of use to you today." He was nice, that was true, but he was no Taylor.

"Where is he, if I may ask?" Hayley questioned.

"I'm not sure, I just know that he's out on a personal matter." The man told her.

"Oh," She said. She felt that she was the personal matter. Being someone's personal matter sucked. "Well, I truly apologize, Dr. Anderson, but I don't feel comfortable with the idea of speaking with anyone but Dr. York." She said.

"That's perfectly understandable."

"Thank you," She said as she gathered her bag. "Feel free to bill me for this session anyway. I don't mind." She smiled and made her way to the door.

"Goodbye." He told her.

"Bye."

She couldn't wait to get home to open the envelope, but for some reason she was also dreading it. All she could do was tell herself that she had nothing to lose.

Several times since she'd told Taylor about her feelings, she'd considered calling Zac, but he would tell her it was a bad idea. She knew it was, but that knowledge only went so far.

As soon as she got up to her room, she tore open the envelope. Her heart was pounding and her hands turned clammy.

_Hayley,_

_I do apologize for my absence, but I had a lot of thinking to do. I also have a lot of apologizing to do. I'm sorry for failing to acknowledge the statement you made about your feelings for me. I must tell you immediately that any action I take other than ignoring your feelings is pretty much unethical. I chose to stay home today and spend more time with Nora rather than face you because I didn't want things to be awkward. I'm sorry if I made you feel bad. It's just that I have no idea what I'm supposed to do when my feelings go against my code of ethics. It took everything in me to pretend I didn't care that you said you had feelings for me on Friday. Anyway, acting on my feelings could cause me to lose my job. At first I thought that putting my job on the line was too much, but then I thought about how captivating I've found you since the second you opened your mouth the first time we met. I'm not sure which one holds more weight. I suppose we should talk about it though. Sorry this letter rambled on for so long. Sorry._

_Taylor._

Hayley was confused. What was she supposed to do? She smiled to herself and folded the letter back up. She also tried to imagine Taylor being unable to contain himself, which seemed impossible. She suddenly remembered that she had his number and took advantage of that opportunity.

**_Hayley 12:47 p.m._ **   
**_it'd be a wise choice to return to therapy at some point. probably tomorrow._ **

**_Taylor 12:50 p.m._ **   
**_I'm willing to consider that option :)_ **

Hayley felt at ease, he didn't hate her. In fact, it was quite the opposite and she was elated. She grinned for a good ten minutes straight before deciding that she needed to do something semi-productive.

As soon as Zac answered Hayley's video call he said, "Do I have to watch you eat a salad for lunch again?"

"Yeah, but I can eat something else if you're so bothered by a salad." She remarked.

"It's more or less the fact that I'd never seen you eat a salad until recently." He told her.

"I like vegetables, okay?"

"News to me." Zac mumbled. Hayley took this statement as an opportunity to give him the finger.

"What do _you_ think I should eat, then?" She asked.

"I don't know, it's your mouth!"

"Then why does it matter if I eat a salad?" She cold tell she'd won the argument and smiled to herself triumphantly.

"Fine, eat a salad." He groaned.

"It took this whole argument for me to make a salad, you know." She told him.

"You were making a salad this whole time?" He yelled. Hayley laughed at him. "What would you have done if I'd actually picked something?"

"I didn't think you'd win the argument," She shrugged.

"You have no faith in me." He whined.

"You're right, I don't."

As she leaned on the kitchen counter and ate her salad, the two talked. Zac noticed something unusually cheery about Hayley but opted not to ask. She wouldn't tell him anyway. They talked for hours just as they had many nights before and Hayley felt like maybe things were actually going right.

Later that night, just as Hayley decided she would hop into the shower before bed, her phone dinged. She unlocked it to find a message from Taylor. It was an audio rather than a text, so she turned her volume up all the way and pressed play.

"Say goodnight to Hayley." She heard Taylor say quietly.

Then she heard a small voice say, "Goodnight Hayley!"

To which Taylor responded, "You have to tell her who it's from. She doesn't know what your voice sounds like."

"Oh! This is from Nooora!"

The audio ended with Taylor's chuckle. Hayley smiled to herself.

**_Hayley 8:32 p.m._ **   
**_that's actually the cutest thing i've ever heard_ **

**_Hayley 8:32 p.m._ **   
**_thank you_ **

**_Hayley 8:33 p.m._**  
 ** _goodnight to you both_** ❤️

**_Taylor 8:40 p.m._ **   
**_Goodnight :)_ **

Hayley went to bed feeling comfortable for the first time in a while that night.


	13. Chapter 13

**{trigger warning; sexual assault mention/depiction}**

"Hey, Hayley!" Taylor's receptionist said as Hayley walked in.

"Hey, Alice! Is Dr. York with a client?" She asked, pointing to the closed door that led to Taylor's personal office.

"Oh, no! He's actually out right now. He should be back in just a few minutes. Have a seat!" She smiled a very genuine smile at Hayley.

"Thanks." Hayley took a seat in one of the chairs and waited. Alice was right, no more than six minutes later, Taylor walked in the door with a small box in his hand.

"Come on," He gestured for her to follow, so she did.

"What's that?" She asked when he set the box down.

"Someone sent at gift for you to the facility. I had to go pick it up." He told her.

"Oh, okay." She said and began to pull the tape off of it.

"Don't you want to know who it's from?" He questioned. He figured someone who probably received gifts from fans all the time would question that.

"Not really," She explained, "the only person who likes me enough to buy me gifts is Mr. Gilbert."

"Should I start buying you gifts, then?" He asked with a smirk. She glanced up at him for a second and smirked back.

"Smooth," she mumbled. She was finally able to get the tape off and picked up a note from inside of the box. "'Babygirl, blah blah blah, hope to see you soon.'" She read aloud.

"Are you two close?" Taylor asked. Hayley let out a loud, bitter cackle.

"The gifts aren't personal." She said as she dangled a gold necklace with a heart on it. "We all get them."

"'We?'" Taylor said, his tone showing confusion.

"Yes, we. He sends gifts to all his female clients. They deserve it, don't they? They all slept with him for their record deals." She grumbled. Taylor was concerned.

"Did you?" He asked. She looked up at him in a way that made him feel stupid. "I only ask because you were a minor when you were signed."

"No." She told him.

"What made him sign you?"

"My voice." She shrugged. "He really needed the sales. I'm the only one who hasn't slept with him. Zac really fought him for that."

"That makes sense. You don't seem to like him much, can we talk about him?" He hoped that she would actually agree this time.

Hayley figured she'd have to tell him at some point anyway, so she said, "Sure."

"Okay, well I'll ask some questions. What were you guys whispering about when he came to visit you?" Taylor asked.

"I remember him asking who you are and why you were there. I told him the truth. And I remember asking if he was upset with me for having to go to rehab. He said no. Well, really, I asked if I was in trouble." She explained.

"What did you mean when you said that he didn't permit you to date guys?" He wondered.

"Exactly that. He won't let me." She told him.

"What are the consequences?"

"I wouldn't like to know." Hayley mumbled.

"Why are you scared of him? Did something happen between you two?" Hayley sighed heavily and looked down.

"Yes."

Then he asked, "What was it?" Hayley didn't want to answer, but she new she had already agreed to.

She looked down at her feet and said, "He throws these New Year's parties at his house where everyone from the label comes. I don't like them. Anyway, the first one I went to, there was a guy there who was related to someone at the label who was talking to me a lot. He was really nice, I was interested in him. And we talked all night pretty much." She stopped for a second, causing Taylor to look up at her, but she was still looking at the floor.

"And then Mr. Gilbert wanted to talk, so we went into the nearest empty room. He told me that he didn't think that the guy was good enough for me. And then he started kissing my neck and talking about how pretty I am. I remember backing away from him so much that when I hit the bed, I fell. Didn't help my case." Taylor could tell that the story was going to get much worse, but couldn't understand why Hayley seemed so nonchalant about it.

"Anyway, then he fingered me. He kissed me and then he told me that I was his. He asked if I could remember that. I said yes. And he went back to the party. I had to stay in there a while 'cause I was bleeding and in pain. I guess it could have been worse. When I went back out I avoided the guy. Now Mr. Gilbert makes me sit on his lap and he tells me I'm gorgeous and praises me when Zac isn't around."

"When was this?" Taylor questioned. He was angry.

"The New Year's after I turned 18." It was quiet for a while. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Her voice quavered as she said, "But I said no. I didn't want that." Tears poured out and Taylor rushed over to engulf her in a hug.

"I'm sorry," He told her as he brushed her hair out of her face.

"It hurt." She told him. He nodded and pulled her closer.

"I know," was all her could say. And for some reason, he felt compelled to kiss her forehead. So he did. "Thank you for telling me this. Do you want me to report him?"

Hayley shook her head. "I just want to switch labels."

"Okay," he agreed. "We can work that out."

Hayley was still crying and only hugged him tighter, so he let her stay like that. She allowed Taylor's warmth to comfort her as she felt the knot in her stomach slowly untie itself.

"And you know what?" He added after a while.

"What?" She sniffled.

"Nora is coming over on Friday night. I was thinking you could come hang out with us Saturday afternoon. On one condition." He smiled down at her and she rolled her eyes. He could tell she had cheered up a bit though.

"What?"

"Some friends of mine are having a game night that evening. I don't have a partner. Would you join me?" He gave her a hopeful grin and she laughed.

"Only if you can promise that they aren't as boring as you."

"They aren't." He mumbled. "But I'm offended."

"No you're not." She giggled. Taylor turned his nose up at her and didn't respond. "Don't give me the silent treatment!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now get out of my office, I'll see you tomorrow." He chuckled as he nudged her.

"Bye, Benji. Thanks for listening!" She called as she left. There was a new type of weight lifted off of her shoulders.


	14. Chapter 14

After much deliberation, Hayley finally decided that it wouldn't kill her to wear a sun dress out with Taylor and Nora. She sent Taylor a text to let him know that she was on her way and skidded out of the doorway.

"You got here pretty quickly, are you sure you obeyed all speed limits?" Taylor asked when he opened the door. He laughed when Hayley shook her head with a guilty smile. "You look very nice, by the way."

"Thanks," She said, her cheeks a tinted red. "I tried."

"Nora made a rule today. You can only meet her if you can find her." He nodded his head in the direction of his bed loft and Hayley giggled, choosing to go the opposite way. Taylor began to laugh when Nora popped up to from next to his bed to watch Hayley check the most ridiculous of places down the stairs.

"She must be good at hiding. I mean, obviously curtains are a rookie mistake. Not that you have any anyway." Hayley dramatically wandered the bottom of the apartment.

"Pssst!" Nora called to Taylor. His response was to whistle inconspicuously until Hayley pretended not to hear and walk away. "Is it lunch time?" She whispered. He nodded up at her and Hayley spun around on her heels, her eyes set on Nora.

"Hello! Have you seen my new friend Nora?" She asked. Nora giggled. "I'm not sure what she looks like, but I've been told she's a gorgeous little girl. Can you help me find her?"

Nora did a little hop. "That's me!" She called out, "I'm Nora!"

"Well, Nora, I don't know what you're doing up there when you should be down here hugging me!" And with those words, Nora clambered down the stairs and into Hayley's arms. Taylor was surprised she did, because Nora was usually shy. "I have a surprise for you, but it's in my car. I'll make sure to get that to you later."

"Okay!" She told Hayley before looking up at Taylor. "Lunch?"

"Oh, yes! Maybe you should ask Hayley what she wants for lunch."

Nora looked up at Hayley. "What's your favorite bug?" Not the question either of them were expecting.

"Uh.. the lady bug. Maybe pill bugs." She smiled. "What's your favorite food?"

"Tomatoes!" This was a surprising answer because most three year olds would name anything other than a fruit or vegetable.

"Well, maybe we can get some tomatoes for lunch. What d'ya say?" Nora nodded at Hayley with a smile.

Taylor took them to the diner he'd taken Hayley to back when she was in the rehab facility. Hayley ordered her burger with the tomatoes on the side, and when the plates were delivered to them, she slid the tomatoes onto Nora's plate.

"Thank you!" Hayley winked at Nora. She poked Taylor in the arm when he popped a fry in his mouth. "You forgot your ketchup!"

"No, Nora. Hayley doesn't like ketchup as much as we do and I'm _really_ trying to get her to like me." Hayley smiled at him and shook her head.

"Do you like my uncle Taylor?" Nora asked.

"I do," Hayley nodded, "A whole lot."

"See? She likes you! Now you can eat ketchup!" Taylor shook his head, his eyes still on Hayley.

After lunch, the trio stopped by an ice cream shop. Nora loved this particular ice cream shop because they let you put your own toppings on it.

"Ice cream!" Nora shouted with a grin when they pulled up.

"This is-" Taylor put his hand on Hayley's.

"She can't read the sign that says 'fro-yo' yet." He told her quietly. Hayley smiled.

"What's your second favorite kind of ice cream?" Nora asked.

"Don't you wanna know my first?" Hayley answered.

"No, 'cause you're gonna get your first favorite and we can't get the same kind!" She explained, "It's a rule!"

Hayley suggested, "What if I get uncle Taylor's favorite, you get my favorite, and he gets yours? That way we all try something new?" Taylor shook his head rapidly.

"I like that idea! Okay, Uncle Taylor, my favorite is-"

"Bubblegum. With sprinkles and gummy bears." Taylor gave Hayley a pained smile.

"Yeah! What's yours, Hayley?"

"Strawberry banana." She told her. "Taylor?"

"You're going to call me boring." He told her. She pouted at him. He sighed and said, "Vanilla."

Hayley burst out laughing. "Vanilla? That's the most boring flavor!" She clutched her stomach and heaved a few times before calming down. "Toppings?"

"Oreos." He said. He realized that he liked her laugh, even when it was aimed at him. It was one of the most musical things he'd ever heard.

After ordering and topping their "ice cream," Hayley, Taylor, and Nora sat down in her favorite round booth.

"Hey, Hayley." Nora said. Hayley's attention was caught. "Do you wanna kiss uncle Taylor?"

Hayley sucked in a breath so sharp that she began to cough over an unexpected Oreo chunk. "Why do you ask that?" She asked after she calmed down.

"Well, sometimes my mommy kisses my daddy. I thought you liked uncle Taylor like that." She told Hayley.

"Well, Nora, I think right now uncle Taylor and I are just friends." She explained as she glanced up at Taylor. "I do like him though, and I hope that maybe sometime soon he'll wanna kiss me."

Nora began to giggle when she saw Taylor's shocked expression. Hayley laughed too and nudged Taylor with her shoulder.

"You know," she told him, "as simple as your order is, it's pretty delicious."

"That's why I eat it. Bubblegum, on the other hand, is not for me." Nora scrunched up her nose at him, her tongue out of her mouth.

"I like your ice cream, Hayley!" Nora told Hayley.

"It's super, yummy right?" Hayley agreed. "That's the only flavor I've eaten in a really long time."

"Sounds boring." Taylor joked.

"You'd know."

"Uncle Taylor, how come Daddy said I have to go home tonight?" Nora asked suddenly.

"Well, Nory, I'm busy tonight. I promise I'll make it up to you next weekend. And I'll see you at church tomorrow!" He explained. Nora cheered up once she realized she'd see her uncle again tomorrow.

"Can you come too, Hayley?" She asked.

"If uncle Taylor's okay with it, I'd love to come." Hayley told her. "Of course."


	15. Chapter 15

"Taylor! Hey!" A man shouted when he opened the door. He and Taylor both went in for a hug.

"Hey, Logan." Taylor said. After he pulled away, he gestured toward Hayley. "This is Hayley." He told him.

"You guys! Taylor brought a girl!" He shouted as he led the pair inside. Hayley's cheeks turned rosy as Taylor's friends made fun.

"Shut up, Logan," Taylor's other friend, Joey said. He stepped closer to Hayley, she clutched The hem of Taylor's shirt. He gave her a small smile. "I'm Joey! You look familiar."

"Oh, hi, Joey. I'm Hayley." She said. "I have a friend named Joey, too." She smiled at him.

"Well, now you have two." With this, Hayley's smile grew.

He gestured for the pair to sit and they took seats right next to each other. Hayley let her body lean into Taylor's and found security within his company.

"So, how old are you, Hayley?" Logan asked.

"I'm 22." She told him. He raised his eyebrows.

"You're too young for Taylor. Do you know how old he is?" He asked. Hayley couldn't tell if he was kidding or not.

"Yeah. He's only six years older than me. That's not bad." She voiced.

"He started high school when you were in like.. third grade." Hayley didn't know what to say, so she was relieved when Joey returned from the kitchen with more friends.

"Leave the girl alone, Logan." He said. Then he added, "He's kidding, by the way."

"Would you like some wine?" A woman questioned.

"No, thank you." Hayley said.

"Oh, come on. It's a night to let loose!" She said.

"She said no, Chels." Taylor said. Chelsea rolled her eyes.

"Are you from Texas?" A second woman asked as she wandered out of the kitchen with a try of snacks.

"I'm not." Hayley said, an amused look cast upon her face. "Mississippi, but I've lived in Tennessee since I was 17."

"So how'd you meet Taylor?" Joey asked. Taylor searched Hayley's face for a response.

"That's not im-" Taylor began, only to be cut off by Hayley.

"I'm one of his patients." She responded honestly.

"Oh. Do you mind if I ask what for?" Chelsea questioned.

"Alcohol abuse," she said with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, God!" Chelsea began, "I'm so sorry! We wouldn't have brought out the wine if we knew!"

Hayley laughed and said, "I promise, it's fine."

"We'll be right back." Taylor told them and pulled Hayley by the hand all the way out of the front door. His nosey friends watched through the window.

"What's wrong?" Hayley asked.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"What? Don't be."

"I am, though, I probably should have remembered that they drink wine during these hang outs." He thought aloud.

Hayley stepped closer to him. "It's okay, I promise. And don't feel like you can't drink wine because I can't, okay?" Taylor shook his head.

"I don't really like alcohol." He explained.

"Me neither. Let's go back in." Taylor gave her a curious look before leading her back inside.

Upon entering, Hayley noticed all traces of wine had been removed from the scene. She sighed. She really didn't want to ruin anyone's night.

"Sorry, Hayley." Chelsea said. "But I just can't fathom why such a gorgeous and interesting woman would take an interest in Taylor. He's a bit boring."

Hayley laughed and nudged Taylor with her elbow. "He is boring. That's what I like. Really, I just enjoy how calm things can be with him. I don't know many normal people anymore."

"Define normal." Logan demanded.

"The non-famous ones." She clarified.

"The non-famous ones," he repeated in a mumble. "Hayley," he said, "Williams?"

"That's me." She confirmed.

"You're that country singer!"

"Me." She said with a laugh.

"Yeah, she's definitely too cool for Taylor," Joey joked.

"Okay, okay, can we get to the games now? Sam?" Taylor asked. Being embarrassed by his friends wasn't ideal.

"Okay, yeah." The woman who'd brought the snacks agreed. "Let's play some games!"

Through the games, Hayley learned that Taylor really didn't have a wild side to him and preferred the more boring responses in the more inappropriate games. He did not win at game night.

"Be careful on your way home, guys, it's pouring outside." Sam said as everyone finally decided to get home. As predicted in the forecast, the rain was causing flooding.

"I think you missed the turn," Hayley told Taylor on their way back to his apartment.

"That street always floods," He explained, "Detour." So, she stayed silent until they reached his apartment building.

"Thanks for letting me meet your friends. They're pretty funny." She said. "I'm gonna get home now. As she reached for the door handle, he put is hand on hers.

"I don't know." He said. "A lot of streets flood in this town. I'm worried."

"I'll call you when I get there." She said. He didn't seem convinced.

"You could take my bed again." He suggested. She sighed.

"I don't have anything to sleep in." She told him.

"I have sweats you could borrow." He told her. At this point, the only option was to stay because their conversation made time for the storm to pick up even more.

"I will take your couch. And a shirt. I hate pants." She told him. He sighed in relief as he really didn't want her to attempt driving in the storm.

"Okay, run for it." He said, tossing his jacket onto her lap.

Quickly, she slipped it on and pulled the hood over her head. When she got out of the car, she began to walk as quickly as she could to the door of the apartment building. Taylor, having been several feet behind her, was soaking wet upon entering the building lobby. Silently, they made their way to the elevator and up to Taylor's apartment.

"I put some blankets and pillows on the couch. Also a shirt and some sweats. Are you sure you wanna sleep down here?" He said after returning from changing.

"Yes," she laughed. "It's fine!"

So they said goodnight and parted ways. For at least two hours, Hayley attempted to curl up in the multiple blankets provided by Taylor, all in which smelled like him. But she couldn't, it was just too damn cold. She made a decision, one whose outcome she was rather unsure of.

"What are you doing?" Taylor asked when Hayley peeled his comforter back, his eyes still closed.

"It's really, really cold down there." Hayley said, crawling into bed on the other side of him. The pair left space between them.

"I know that. That's why I offered you the bed. But you're stubborn." He chuckled.

"Taylor?" She said, moving closer to him. He hummed a response as he turned his head toward her, caught off guard by how close she was. Quickly, she pressed her lips to his, letting them linger there for a second. "Keep me warm," she said when she finally pulled away.

"I will," he promised. He then turned over and draped an arm over her waist. "Is this okay?"

Hayley nodded and scooted even closer to him. She let her cheek rest on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. She let out a calm sigh.

"Are you sure this is okay?" He asked, "I'm sorry that I'm in my boxers, I can get up and put clothes on. I'm sorry." He said, suddenly aware of the situation and the past of the woman lying next to him.

"It's fine," She said quietly. And there was a moment of silence in which she later quietly said, "You're the only man I've felt comfortable around in a long time."

"I'm sorry that you've struggled with that these last four years." He told her.

Hayley watched the stars through the skylight above them. "It's more than that. My last step dad, he never hurt me, but he always hurt my mom. I think that hurt me more."

"I'm sorry."

"My new step dad is really great, though. I feel bad about not being able to trust him because it's not his fault," she explained.

"I'm glad you've found it in yourself to trust me." He thought for a second, and then he asked, "Why did you say you didn't like alcohol?"

"It's weird to be an alcoholic who doesn't actually enjoy alcohol." She laughed. "I don't like it, I don't like the feeling it gives me. I just found it easier to wake up in the morning and feel like I couldn't remember anything before that moment. Didn't work too often though."

"Why didn't you allow yourself to get help?" He asked.

"Because it wouldn't make sense to anyone else." She whispered.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because only three people know about what happened that night with Mr. Gilbert and two of us were there." Taylor could almost feel the lump in her throat.

"I'm sorry that you carried all that weight yourself," he told her. He kissed her head and then whispered, "I promise I will neither hurt you nor let anyone hurt you anymore."

"Thank you."

"Get some rest."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


	16. Chapter 16

Hayley woke up with her cheek pressed to Taylor's chest. She couldn't tell if he was unusually warm or if she was unusually cold. It occurred to her that he was awake when she felt his fingers running through her hair.

"'Morning," She said. He smiled.

"Good morning."

"How'd you sleep?" She asked. He pushed a stray piece of hair away from her face.

"Pretty well," He told her. "You had a bad dream."

Hayley's cheeks turned rosy and diverted her eyes. "How do you know that?"

Then he asked, "Did you know that you talk in your sleep?"

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I was just worried. Do you have those dreams often?" It was almost comical, really, engaging in a therapy session while in bed.

"Not usually." She cleared her throat and asked, "What time is it?"

"It's 11," he said, causing her to omit a sigh that soundly like a partial groan.

"I'm sorry. You could have woken me!" She slapped his chest lightly.

"It's okay," He told her. "You slept straight through the alarm. And really, after the night you seemed to be having, I figured you could use some peaceful rest. I told Justin we'd skip church but would definitely make it to Sunday brunch."

"Oh, okay. I hope Nora isn't upset with you." She flashed a guilty smile at him. He grinned back.

"She adores you. Surely she'll get over it. Now, if you'd allow me to get up," he said as he attempted to wiggle out from under her, "I could get ready and then we could swing by your place for you to get ready too."

"Oh!" She exclaimed as she finally realized that she was halfway on top of him, their legs intertwined, "Sorry!"

After she let Taylor up, he slid his closet door open and began to look at shirts. Meanwhile, Hayley took a leisure trip down the stairs to get her dress. She changed down there, fairly sure that Taylor wasn't watching her. She was right.

He was down much faster than she expected and in no time they were at her home. And in even less time, they were pulling into his parents' driveway. She was slightly nervous, but also fairly confident.

Justin opened the door. "Hey, T, mom and dad are-is this her?"

"Yes, it is. May we please come in?" He asked sarcastically, brushing past his brother, Hayley in tow.

"Hi, Hayley. I'm Justin. Please, make yourself at home. Nora is waiting for you right through there." He gestured into the den and then turned to his younger brother. "Taylor, we need to talk."

While Hayley played with Nora, Taylor received the scolding of his life.

"That's Hayley Williams!" Though his voice was dropped to a whisper, it was drained of all excitement.

Taylor sighed. "Yes, Justin, I know that."

"There are several things wrong with that!"

"Go on."

"Well first of all, she's supposed to be in rehab so I have no doubt that she's one of your clients. So, when you lose your job, I don't want to hear about it." Taylor rolled his eyes at his brother, uninterested in the topic at hand.

"Whatever."

"Second of, who was the last girl you brought to brunch?" He asked.

"Bailey, but that's not relevant," he retorted.

"It is, because you're gonna get invested in Hayley like you did Bailey. What happens when she leaves? She's famous, why would she stick around for someone like you?" He asked. Taylor felt anger build up inside him. Before Justin could say anymore, Hayley entered the foyer.

"Sorry, but Taylor?" She said, flashing her phone at him. It was ringing, it was Mr. Gilbert.

"We're gonna go to the basement for a second. Be back," Taylor said and quickly ushered her down the stairs.

"Hey, babygirl!" Chad said after Hayley answered. "Did you get my gift?"

"Yeah! I did. It was beautiful, thank you." Hayley was distressed, Taylor could tell.

"No problem, baby. What are you up to?"

"I'm just getting ready to have brunch." Technically she was being honest.

"Then I'll let you go. But Hayley?"

"Yes?"

"You're mine. Remember that." She could hear him smiling, it made her sick. Taylor saw her tears welling.

"Yes, sir," she said. Then he hung up and Taylor wiped her eyes with a tissue.

"You look far too pretty to be crying," he told her. He was careful not to smudge her make up.

"Where did that tissue come from?" She asked.

"From the pack I keep in my pocket," he chuckled. "It's practical."

On the way back up the stairs, Hayley laughed at Taylor for being boring and practical once more.

"Oh, there you two are," Jana said as they entered the living room. Hayley had met Jana just before going to take the call. "Everything's ready, so let's go." Hayley couldn't help but coo at the baby in Jana's arms. Taylor had mentioned her on occasion, but rarely spoke about her.

Justin slid her rocker to the dining room table with Nora in tow as everyone made their way to the dining room. Before sitting down, both of Taylor's parents walked over to Hayley to shake her hand.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. York. It's very nice to meet you." She grinned as she said those words, she felt good for once.

"You're not from here," Taylor's dad said.

"No, sir. I actually live in Tennessee," she explained.

"Here on business?" He asked.

"Something like that," she said with a quick glance at Taylor.

"Let's get to grace so that we can eat," his mother said with a smile. After saying grace, the family commenced in normal conversation.

"You know, mom," Justin spoke up, "Hayley bought Nora some coloring books and a Barbie the other day."

The woman smiled and said, "Well that's very nice, Hayley."

"It was," Jana chimed in. "Thank you, Hayley."

"It was nothing. I actually told Taylor, I love kids but I'm not at a point in my life where very many people that I know have them. So meeting one is always fun for me. Especially if they're as cute as Nora." Nora's smile perked up at her words.

"What do you do for a living?" Taylor's father asked.

"I'm a musician," she said, seemingly catching his interest.

"Oh. Where do you play?" He asked. He wondered if he'd seen her around anywhere.

Justin laughed. "Dad, she's famous."

"Really? Well I apologize!" He exclaimed.

"It's okay," Hayley said with a chuckle.

"She's a country singer, Dad," Taylor explained.

"I like that one country guy. What's his name?" Their mother asked herself aloud. "Rascal Flatts?"

"They're a band, Mom."

Hayley laughed. "I've met those guys tons of times. They're pretty nice."

"How did you meet Taylor?" His dad asked.

"We'll talk about that later," Taylor told him.

Brunch went smoothly, and when everyone was finished, Hayley and Taylor volunteered themselves to clean up. Just as the pair had finished loading the dishwasher, Taylor's mother peeked her head into the kitchen. Taylor and Hayley were standing very close to each other and smiling.

"Hey," her son said, "When is the right time to ask if I can kiss you a second time?"

Hayley laughed out, "You never kissed me a first time! That was all me."

"Whatever," he said, a smile on his face, "In that case, can I kiss you a first time?"

"Please do." Hayley's arms wound around Taylor's neck, his around her waist. Their lips met for a peck and another, and another until finally their lips met for a few seconds longer.

The woman smiled to no one in particular as she watched the pair sway back and forth, glad her son found it in him to be happy.


	17. Chapter 17

One morning, as Hayley and Taylor were laying in bed, Hayley noticed a look of worry on Taylor's face.

"What?" She asked. When he did nothing but hum curiously, she asked, "There's something on your mind, I can tell."

There was no doubt in her mind that she was right because she often studied people's behavior. He had that same look on his face as he did every time he was about to say something, only he hadn't said it yet.

"And you know that because?" He asked.

"I can see it in your eyes."

"I can't believe I'm dating a therapist, wow," he joked.

"Fine, don't tell me," she huffed. He knew that she was only joking.

He thought carefully about his words before saying, "I really, really like you, you know."

Hayley exerted a short laugh and told him, "I _do_ know." She cuddled closer to him. "And I really, really like you too."

Taylor stroked Hayley's cheek with his thumb, taking in her ethereal appearance. She looked perfect, like some sort of doll, even having just woken up. "Justin doesn't think you're serious about us," he told her.

"Oh," she said, slightly taken aback. "Why's that?"

"Well," he started, "he doesn't think that we live compatible lifestyles. He also doesn't think I'm your speed."

"My speed?" She wondered aloud.

"Yeah. He likes you as a person, but he said that he worries you'll leave for tour or something and forget about me. Overall, his main argument is that I'm getting to the age where people start to settle down and you're not."

"I'm not, you're right. However, that doesn't mean that I'm not serious. And it doesn't mean that I don't want to be with you until I _am_ ready to settle down," she explained. Taylor felt warm inside.

"Do you?" He asked. Suddenly he worried that that may have been the wrong question.

"I think I do," she told him. She played with one of his curls and said, "And I definitely won't forget about you." These days, Taylor was becoming more and more of a necessity.

"I'd hope not." He chuckled after he spoke and pressed his lips to hers. "I know it's been a couple weeks since you met them, but I feel like I should mention that my parents really do like you. In fact, they've asked to see you multiple times." Hayley gasped and slapped his chest.

"You know I love them! They made you, how could I not? I'd kill to see them!" She exclaimed. Taylor rolled his eyes.

"You know, as a therapist, I worry that you say you'd kill for things way too often." He earned himself another slap on the chest. "Anyway, I just want you to know that I'm very serious about you."

"I know you are, and I am too. I promise."

Later in the week, Hayley and Taylor joined Jana and Justin for some fun with the kids. About halfway through, Taylor and Jana exchanged curious glances when Hayley requested to speak to Justin in private.

"Taylor told me what you said about us," she told him.

He was quick to say, "It's not personal. I like you, I'm just worried about my brother."

"I understand that. I just want you to know that I'm serious about us. I do have a career to take care of, but I don't see myself just getting up and going. I can't. I feel like I physically cannot handle being without him. I think he gets me better than anyone. And I- I think I love him." She twirled her fingers and smiled at her lap.

"You're very young, Hayley. You have to be sure that it's what you want," he told her.

"I am," she said, "I love him. I want to be with him for as long as possible."

"Then tell him." She nodded at him and the two went back inside.

Justin and Jana whispered quietly, eyeing Hayley and Taylor with smiled on their faces. Taylor, on the other hand, was nervous about the conversation that had just finished. Taylor pulled Hayley aside.

"What did you two discuss?" He asked. He wrapped his arms around her waist and put his chin on her shoulder. Hayley placed her hands over his and let her body lean back into his. She laughed a little and shook her head.

"Are all therapists this nosey?" She laughed and swayed them back and forth. Taylor kissed her cheek.

"We are. Only out of concern for the crazy people though." Hayley spun around and stuck her tongue out at him before leaning into a kiss.

"Hey!" Nora yelled, stomping up to them, "That's nasty!" Neither Hayley not Taylor expected it to get any worse but Nora turned around and screamed, "Mommy, they're kissing!"

Hayley and Taylor flushed an equally vibrant shade of red and stepped away from each other. Jana and Justin could be heard laughing from the kitchen.

"Nora, I will kiss Hayley _all I want to_!" Taylor argued.

"No!" She yelled.

"Yes!" He yelled back.

"Is it because you love her?" She asked suddenly. Taylor looked shocked.

"No," he decided after a long silence, "It's because I don't take orders from three year olds. And besides, I don't have to tell you who I love and who I don't."

Nora stuck her tongue out at Taylor and then at Hayley before running off. Hayley cleared her throat, and awkward lump had formed.

"Isn't she quite the riot?" She smiled. Taylor nodded, seemingly less amused.

Not long after, he said, "I'm gonna go see if Jana and Justin have decided on lunch yet. I think Nora's hangry." He took a couple steps forward before turning around and saying, "It's a York thing."

After a while, Hayley wandered over to the white bassinet in the living room that held the newest, sleeping York. She stared down at the baby in awe for several minutes, only drawn away by Jana's sudden presence and voice.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" The two women looked down.

"Yeah," Hayley said. "Ella is just gorgeous."  
She reached out to stroke the infant's cheek and then said, "I want one."

"Oh, they're just a dream." And Jana realized that Hayley was the first woman Taylor had dated that ever showed signs of actually wanting to stay. "But you definitely should wait a few years."

"Oh, for sure," she agreed, "I'm not ready now."

"We know." Jana flashed a genuine smile at Hayley, but her eyes showed a sense of secrecy that caused Hayley a discomfort.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Jana chuckled and said, "You're different than the other girls Taylor's been with. We know you wanna stick around. And we want you to."

"I will."


	18. Chapter 18

"I think I'm gonna stay in New York for a while," Hayley said. It was the most assertive she'd ever been with Mr. Gilbert.

He said, "Really? I'd prefer you came back to Nashville. Your treatment is over with."

"I know, I just don't think I'm ready to jump back in right away. I promise I'll write up here. I'll come back with an album written."

"Fine." Hayley knew he was angry because he hung up the phone without another word and didn't use one of his disgusting pet names. But at least she got to stay with Taylor longer.

Hayley trudged down Taylor's stairs to where he was sitting on the couch examining patient notes. She let her body fall into his lap.

"Pay attention to me," She whined. He gave her a look that told her he was busy. So she whined again and once more before saying, "I wanna cuddle."

Taylor sighed and tossed the notes onto the coffee table before pulling Hayley closer. She curled up into his chest and he kissed her head several times.

"You're such a big baby," he teased her. She whined incoherently.

She mumbled, "Well you haven't payed much attention to me today.

"That's because I did nothing but pay attention to you yesterday and I'm now behind on my work." He gave her a sweet smiled. She scrunched up her nose at him. Of course, he found it cute. "Did you call Mr. Gilbert?" She nodded. "And?"

"He's not happy about it, but he'll tolerate me staying." She smiled at Taylor and he smiled back.

"That's good. It's a little more time, right?" He asked. He sighed. "I'm worried about when you go back though. You know, how you'll hold up. Plus I'll miss you."

Hayley gave him a soft smile, "I know I'll miss you for sure. I think I'll be fine though."

"You'll be fine if you tell yourself so," he said.

"I'm still worried about something through," mumbled. She looked like a nervous child.

"Well, what is it that you're worried about?" He asked her. Hayley couldn't tell if she was talking to her therapist or her boyfriend.

"When I go back, will you still want to be with me?"

Taylor chuckled and rubbed Hayley's back as he asked, "Why wouldn't I?"

Hayley looked down at her lap for a few minutes. Finally, she said, "The other two guys felt no need to be tethered to me unless they could have sex with me." Taylor nodded.

"I promise you, that won't change a thing."

"And I worry that, when the time comes, I won't be able to do it." Her voice was barely a whisper and she was as red as a tomato. "Because I've never had sex before."

Taylor sighed and took one of Hayley's hands in his. "You don't have to worry about that. It's the last thing on my mind. Honestly, I'd be okay if you never wanted to have sex."

"Promise?" She asked. Her face looked soft and her eyes were full of wonder, much like those of a child's.

"I promise," he laughed. And then he said, "You know, when I first met you, I couldn't picture you as the kind of girl who liked to cuddle so much."

"And why not?" She questioned.

"Because you were so closed off. You're just a big softy though," he teased.

"Maybe you're just too tough."

"But maybe you're still just a child," he joked, "After all, you did doodle me in your journal. Coincidentally on the same page you wrote a love song on."

"Leave me alone!" She whined.

"If you'd like to be left alone, I'd suggest getting off of my lap. Just a suggestion though."

"You're mean," she commented.

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"You started it. You don't think it hurt my feelings when you told me to leave you alone?" He asked. He was still joking, but Hayley rested her head on his shoulder and whined.

"It's not my fault that you saw that doodle," she mumbled.

He said, "It was cute."

"I know."

"And how are you so sure?" He wondered.

"Everything I do is cute." She grinned at him.

"That's a true statement. Anyway, what about the one song you wrote that I called self critical?"

"Oh, that one is called Miserable. Definitely going on the album," she smiled in a way that showed she was proud of herself and Taylor thought it was adorable.

"I liked that one. Got any other ones?"

"Not finished ones. But there's one called **Butterflies** that I'm working on. I really like it. The one I doodled you on is called Adore, but it's not a country song so I don't think it'll make the cut," she explained.

Taylor chuckled. "Well that's disappointing."

She played with his curls, as she did frequently and said, "Tell me something you've never told me before."

He hummed in thought for a moment before going, "oh," and finally saying, "Remember how I took you to get a burger that one day?" Hayley nodded her head, "I may have gotten in trouble for that."

"Did you know you weren't supposed to?" She asked.

"Yes, I just didn't care," he said. "But if you choose to go public about me, I'll probably get fired."

"New plan. Resign, come to Nashville, and start a practice there." She smiled at him, half joking. He laughed.

He told her, "I definitely don't have the money to do that."

"I'm now open to the idea of being a sugar mama," she said, almost unable to contain her laughter. Taylor rolled his eyes at her and then began to laugh too.

"Now it's your turn," he said after they stopped laughing several minutes later.

"My turn for what?" She asked.

"To tell me something you've never told me before. Such as the subject matter of a conversation you had with my brother, perhaps?" Hayley groaned in response.

"You're so nosey."

"That I am." Hayley realized it was time to make a choice. Or at least, tell Taylor of the choice she'd made long, long ago.

So she said, "I love you." And he was quiet for a few minutes, his brown eyes soft on her green ones.

"I love you, too," he told her, "And I'll go anywhere that you are."

**_The End._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! this work was inspired by kacey musgraves' song miserable off of her 2015 album pageant material :) thanks for reading!


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